The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-08-13
AUNT RACHEL'S TREATMENT

Crash An ominous sound came from
the kitchen as was sitting for quiet
talk with my friend, Mrs. Morrison. We
had just been enjoying well-prepered
dinner at her table, and the two or three
gentlemen guests had gone.
Something's broken" 1 said.
1t sounds like it," she replied.
expected her to get up and run ner-
vously to the kitchen, but she quietly
continued the conversation. A moment
after there appeared at the door Swed-
ish servant with most woe-begone look
on her face, and a tear on either plump
cheek. I could not forbear an exclama-
ton of dismay on perceiving that in her
hand she held the fragments Of my
friends largest meat dish, belonging to
her fine dinner set.
"Broken?" asked Mrs. Morrison, look
ing at it as she might have looked at the
wreck of kitchen bowl. "You might
have selected something else to break,
seems to me, Lena" she added, with
little shake of the head, but still with a
smile.
st slipped right out of my hands,"
said the girl in great distress.
"Oh, don't stop to fret over it, Lena.
You don't break many dishes. No, it's
no use to save the pieces. 1t can't be
mended."
"Well, Ruthr' I exclaimed, as Lena,
greatly comforted, took her departure.
"Pope must surely have known some
a cestress of yours when he wrote:
And mistress of herself when china falls
Any one would think to see how coolly
you take the ruin of that handsome dish,
that you could have new set any day,
il you want it."
(Which is very far from being the
case, as you know" said my friend, So
berly. 81 am afraid cannot match the
dish, and if 1 can, can scarcely afford
the money for it just now"
"But you do not seem to mind the ac-
cident at all" persisted, quite unable
to understand her equanimity.
"Oh, yes, do-after fashion," she
went on very deliberately. "Thst set
was present from dear old Aunt Rachel,
and am sorry to see any piece of it
broken. But il you are wondering be-
cause / do not fret over what can't be
helped, can only assure you, Eleanor,
that cannot afford to. 1t is bad enough
to lose the dish without that
"Any one will admit that fretting is of
no use." said. "But you are about the
only woman have ever seen who really
lived up to the idea"
81 didn't begin That way" replied
Ruth, settling back into her chair with a
thoughtful expression on her pleasant
face. 81 was very much given to fret
ting over small annoyances when / was
good deal younger. 1t was that same
dear old Aunt Rachel who cured me by
vigorous treatment"
81 should like her recipe, if you can
give it to me-"
"Oh, it is only the same old one you
may hear or REED any day of your life:
Don't fret; it is thankless, rebellious
and utterly useless, never does a bit of
good, and always does harm, with plenty
more such plain truths. think it must
have been the sturdy administration
which affected me. When we were first
married, Fred and began housekeeping
in our pretty little house with everything
nice about it, and were as happy as young
people usually are. But my habit of
worrying over trifes began putting little
blots here and there on the smooth sur
face OF our lives. A broken dish, stained
tablecloth, a poorly ironed article, the
flies, the dust, the SCOT, any petty annoy
ance, would bring q cloud over me which